weaving Voices 01.04.2025 issuu - Flipbook - Page 69
Throughout the Weaving Voices project we shared our rich palette
of practices, ranging from voice work; Feldenkrais; movement
sessions; vision quests; weaving; botanical dying and printing;
bookmaking; Georgian singing; creative writing; mending etc. Within
these practices I would like to identify two types: body practices
and material practices. I will address both types of practices
through examples of activities we shared during the Weaving Voices
workshops.
During the first two workshop weeks in France and Germany, we
were introduced by Laurent Stéphan, Carol Mendelsohn, Saule Ryan,
Walli Höfinger, and Christiane Hommelsheim, members of the Roy
Hart community, to the Roy Hart Centre’s work. Through this method,
the voice becomes a guide for fostering connections between one’s
body, imagination, emotions, and personal stories. It facilitates an
embodied and non-verbal space for narration, personal reflection,
and for allowing vulnerabilities and strengths to surface. Sharing this
activity in a group served as a powerful vessel for expressing and
exchanging personal stories through our bodies. The intimacy shared
through this work formed the bedrock of our trust and collective
cohesion.
Material practices, on the other hand, involve a craft; they require
external materials and techniques to establish connections with
ourselves, each other and our environment. While body practices,
such as the Roy Hart Centre’s vocal work, facilitate immediate and
intimate storytelling through voice and body movement, material
practices operate less directly. Workshops like weaving or natural
dyeing don’t immediately prompt the revelation of personal stories.
Instead, they focus on following instructions and mastering handson techniques, leading to tangible outcomes without the pressure
to immediately ‘reveal’ oneself. This often lowers the threshold for
participation, making these activities often more easily accessible to
a wider audience. However, like body practices, material practices
do hold a great potential to enable the sharing and exploring of
intimate aspects of ourselves, which in turn contributes significantly
to community-building. For instance, the repetitive act of weaving,
within group settings, allows space for conversations, reflections,
and shared experiences. During a workshop week in Amsterdam,
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